24. 



sliaking them we do not have to raise the applies so high nor to press them so 

 heavily, and consequently not to bruise them in putting on the head. Where these 

 points ai'e observed we find no difiiculty with respect to slacking. I did have one 

 shipment that was twenty days on the Atlantic, and they were all slack when they 

 arrived. I fancy that accounts for a great deal of slack packing, and what will 

 apply to forfeign markets will apply to our own as well. At our home markets we 

 can afford to take less for second quality apples. I should not ship any seconds 

 across the Atlantic, but I would ship nothing but firsts. There is a market for 

 second quality here, which does not amount to so much, and they can be sold cheaper. 

 I have noticed in our markets that there is very little difference in what we realized 

 for first and second quality. We generally mark our apples in three qualities : X, 

 XX, XXX. The XXX is generally only fit for the foreign market. The XX we 

 ship to our markets in Canada, and we find very little difference between the receipts 

 from them and from the better quality. But the X, of course, has gone down so 

 that the difference is noticed. Here is a point we want to notice very particularly 

 in packing fruits. A certain quantity of apples went from one part of the country to 

 Montreal this year. They were all seconds or thirds, but were marked firsts. iJow 

 this should never be done, from the fact that it has a tendency to lead dealers to 

 suspect that all fruit growers are rogues. They are not all that. There are honest 

 men among fruit growers as well as among other classes of people ; but that man 

 who would mark a second quality barrel of apples as first should not be countenanced 

 by this association or anybody else. (Applauce) ; because he demoralizes the trade 

 and his conduct has a tendency to arouse suspicion against other fruit growers who 

 wish to be honest. Wow as to the form of package. I noticed in London the French 

 people were shipping pears in boxes — a certain number to each box. The boxes 

 were made to hold a certain number in proportion to the size of the fruit ; but only 

 one tier of pears was put in each box. The boxes contained 4, 6, 8 or 12 pears. 

 Twelve was the most I saw in one case. You may have noticed from quotations in 

 the London markets this year that a great many cases of pears were sold from Ss. 

 6d. — that is the lowest I heard of in selling at — to 16s. per case. Now I saw in one 

 instance between Christmas and New Years, where a case containing four Glout 

 Morceau peai's sold for Ids. There is 4s. apiece for pears. Will it pay us to grow 

 them carefully and pack them carefully in any style of package we see fit to use and 

 ship at that price ? It will pay at 3s. 6d a case well. The way this is done is to 

 have a shallow case made, which they get up very neat and nice. They line them 

 with cotton batting and place the pears in, and put a little tier of batting between 

 each specinien, so there is no chance for the pears to move while in this little case. 

 Then there is a layer of batting put over them again and tissue paper cut ornament- 

 ally put about the border. There is a little lid with wire hinges and a hcjok to hold 

 it down. This little box is easily opened and easily closed ; it looks very neat, and 

 the pears are very attractive when it is opened up. These cases are packed in larger 

 crates, so that they are quite easily shipped— just as easily as barrels of fruits. I 

 fancy it would pay us to send our finest apples that way. It would pay us to grow the 

 very finest. You may have noticed that somewhere between the 12th and 15th Janu- 

 ary the last English apples were sold there. Take Cox's Orange Pippin. It is a small 

 apple; yet these apples sell for 4 pence each. That amounts to $25 per bushel. Only 

 calculate for a moment if it will pay to grow apples at just a quarter of that 

 price. We can grow in our orchards here just as fine Cox's Orange Pippins with 

 ordinary cultivation as they can in England and Wales. I know this to be a fact 

 because I have shown Cox's Orange Pippins grown in my oi-chard against the same 

 variety grown on the wall in England. I could not see any difte'ence, and they 

 acknowledged they could find no difference in the flavour. Those which were oTown 

 m the open orchard there wej-e very inferior to ours both in flavour, form and colour 

 Now, what applies to Cox's Orange Pi ppin applies to any other variety. A question 

 arises right hei'e, which we had better settle at once, because it is important. Why 

 is it there are not more of Cox's Orange Pippin and fine varieties grown'in tliis 

 country than there are ? Do not misunderstand that question. Why is it there are 



